Huskies' shattered dreams

Published 8:00 pm, Wednesday, March 28, 2007

But for the UConn women's basketball team, that time span could be considered an eternity given its level of success at the start of the decade.

The Huskies made five consecutive Final Four appearances and won four national championships since 2000, and there were signs they were returning to that level this season.

"Pretty much, we thought we had a chance to get there (to the Final Four)," junior guard Ketia Swanier said. "We had more of a chance to get there than any year that I've been here."

While the Huskies showed in the second half of the season that they were deserving of a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament, Monday's 73-50 loss to LSU in the Fresno Regional final suggested they are still a year away from legitimizing themselves as national contenders.

"The beginning of the season at Connecticut, all we talk about is wining a national championship," UConn coach Geno Auriemma said. "Some years it's more realistic than others, but the goal is to put yourself in this position to put yourself in this game (at the regional final) so that you have a chance to get to the Final Four and win a national championship.

"I thought this year that was the goal. And in the beginning of the year, it may have seemed unrealistic. But I think the experience of getting here for this group, maybe it will pay dividends next year."

UConn entered the season without any seniors and without any players having previously reached the Final Four in their careers. And unlike other seasons when the Huskies faced that scenario, they also lacked a proven star player.

The last time UConn did not have a senior was during the 2002-03 season, but guard Diana Taurasi was on the roster and she was coming off an All-America and national championship season. She went on to become the program's lone two-time national player of the year.

The 1999-2000 team also carried zero players with previous Final Four experience, but featured on the roster was first-team All-American Svetlana Abrosimova.

Despite not having the proven superstar, UConn proved throughout the season that it was re-establishing itself as a national contender.

The Huskies had their best start -- 12-0 -- in four seasons. They also had their longest winning streak since the 2002-03 season at 15 games.

Other team accomplishments included winning the Big East regular-season title for the first time in three seasons and tallying an undefeated league record for the first time since 2003.

Individually, center Tina Charles matched much of the preseason hype surrounding her, as she was named the Big East Freshman of the Year. She set UConn freshman records for rebounds (296), double-doubles (11) and blocks (81) in a single season.

Forward Charde Houston looked like she finally shook off the underachiever tag and at times played like an All-American this season. She set career-high averages in points (12.5 ppg), rebounds (7.0 rpg) and minutes (26.3 mpg). She was enjoying her the best stretch of her career until Monday's meltdown against LSU, finishing with just four points and four rebounds in the loss.

Point guard Renee Montgomery and guard Kalana Greene enjoyed strong sophomore campaigns. Montgomery finished the season as the team's leading scorer at 13.3 points and established herself as one of the team's go-to players with many of her late-game heroics. Greene atoned for a lackluster freshman year, during which she averaged 4.2 points and 2.1 rebounds, and came back with averages of 12.4 points and 7.5 rebounds.

Even with the improvement in the players, the Huskies showed during the season that they were not ready to match some of the success of past UConn teams.

UConn extended its losing streak to Tennessee (70-64) and North Carolina (82-76) to three games. In both losses, the Huskies fell behind early and trailed by double-digits in the second half. But in both games, they fought back and either tied or led within the final five minutes of the game.

The Huskies also lost the Big East tournament title for the first time in three years with a 55-47 loss to Rutgers in the championship game. They looked like they shook off the offensive problems they endured in that game in the NCAA tournament, averaging 84.7 points and 55.7 percent shooting in the first three rounds before running into similar offensive breakdowns against LSU.

"We worked hard, but there's always room for improvement. We know that," Houston said. "We just have to do everything in our power. We're not losing anybody and we're gaining two better players, so it will give us an opportunity to make a run again."

And the players coming in likely will make UConn into legitimate national contenders next season.

Joining the team next year are forward Maya Moore, the consensus national high school player of the year out of Suwanee (Ga.) Collins Hill High, and guard Lorin Dixon of Christ the King High. Moore recently became just the second high school player to win the prestigious Naismith Award two years, and she led her team to the No. 1 ranking in the final USA Today national poll.

The Huskies are hoping the addition of Moore and Dixon will return them to the Final Four. Otherwise, next year's seniors -- Houston, Swanier, guard Mel Thomas and center Brittany Hunter -- could become the first class since 1990 to go through their UConn career without a trip to the national semifinals.

"You're going to hear that stuff no matter what," Auriemma said. "If you come to Connecticut and you don't go to the Final Four, you're going to hear it. So the one thing you can do to not hear it is don't come. If you come to Connecticut and don't go to the Final Four, you're going to hear about it."

Oct. 26, 2006 " UConn picked to win the Big East title at the league's Media Day. Point guard Renee Montgomery was honored on the preseason All-Big East list and center Tina Charles was recognized as the preseason freshman of the year.

Nov. 18-25, 2006 " UConn enjoys a trip to Italy, during which Auriemma returns to his hometown of Montella for the first time since he moved to America.

Dec. 18, 2006 " Guard Kalana Greene scored 21 points on 10-of-12 shooting to lead UConn to a 96-60 win at Virginia. The game sparked a breakout year for the sophomore.

Jan. 6, 2007 " Tennessee extends its winning streak on UConn to three games with a 70-64 win at the Hartford Civic Center. Candace Parker scored 30 points on the Huskies. UConn trailed by as many as 18 points early in the second half before tying the score at 58-all, but was unable to complete the comeback.

Jan. 15, 2007 " Breakdowns in the final two minutes resulted in an 82-76 loss to North Carolina. UConn erased a 15-point deficit in the second half and held the lead three times before being held scoreless in the final 2:11.

Jan. 30, 2007 " UConn wins 70-60 at Cincinnati despite having forward Charde Houston play just the first four minutes of the game. Auriemma benched his star for a lackluster start and she was taken out of the starting lineup the next game at Marquette. Houston responded by scoring in double figures in the next 13 games and tallying five double-doubles in the stretch.

Feb. 11, 2007 " UConn picks up its first win against a legitimate national contender with a 72-71 win at LSU. The victory snapped the Lady Tigers' 43-game winnings streak at home, which was then the longest active in the nation. The Huskies battled back from a 12-point deficit in the game.

Feb. 20, 2007 " UConn wins the Big East regular season title outright with an 81-67 victory at South Florida. The title ends a two-year streak where the Huskies took second in the Big East. In the game, center Tina Charles scores 34 points, which marks the highest single-game total by a freshman in program history. The center also tallied her ninth double-double with 17 rebounds to set a UConn freshman record. She eventually finished with 11 double-doubles this season. Houston also became the 28th player in the program to reach 1,000 career points.

Feb. 26, 2007 " UConn wraps up its first undefeated season in Big East play with a 70-44 trouncing at Rutgers.

March 2, 2007 " At the Big East awards banquet, Charles picks up the Big East Freshman of the Year award and Montgomery was named to the all-league first team. Charles, Greene and Houston all were named to the All-Big East second team, and Charles and Kaili McLaren were recognized on the all-freshman team. March 5, 2007 " UConn rises up to No. 2 in the AP Top 25, its highest spot on the poll since Feb. 23, 2004, when it was the top-ranked team in the country. The Huskies received seven first-place votes on the ballot.

March 6, 2007 " The two-year reign as Big East tournament champions ends with a 55-47 loss to Rutgers in the title game. UConn suffers one of its poorest offensive outings of the season in the loss.

March 12, 2007 " UConn receives a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2003. The Huskies also are placed in the Fresno Region, marking the first time they are put in the "West Region."

March 18, 2007 " UConn records a 30-win season for the 12th time in program history. The Huskies have won at least 30 games in 12 of the past 14 seasons.

March 26, 2007 " UConn ends the season with a 73-50 loss to LSU in the Fresno Regional final. �